The Connection Between Candida and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Is there a connection between candida and chronic fatigue syndrome?  Although denied by some traditional medical practitioners, many researchers are confident the connection does exist.  If that is the case, sufferers of chronic fatigue syndrome can take hope.

What is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?

CFS  is an autoimmune condition that causes prolonged, debilitating fatigue. The fatigue is not eliminated by rest or sleep. According to the federal government’s Center for Disease Control (CDC), it must last or be recurring for at least six months  in order to be diagnosed with CFS,  and other conditions that cause similar symptoms should be ruled out.  The CDC says that a CFS sufferer will also display at least four out of the eight following signs:

• Impaired memory or concentration
• Malaise after exertion (the malaise will last at least 24 hours)
• Sore throat
• Unrefreshing sleep
• Tender/painful nodes, particularly auxiliary or cervical
• Frequent headaches
• Muscle pain
• Pain in multiple joints

Although CFS was not officially recognized by the CDC until 1988, it is estimated that more than a million people  suffer from this condition.   It affects more women than men but can be found in both sexes and attacks all racial and ethnic groups.

What Causes CFS?

For many years this condition was blamed on depression or other psychological  disturbances.  Researchers are still unsure what actually causes CFS.  A few  causes falling under suspicion include viruses, genetics and immune system disorders.  There is still no conclusive answer.

Chronic Fatigue and the Candida Connection

What has been discovered, however, is that people with CFS  often suffer from candida as well.  Many of these people have found long lasting relief from CFS when they are treated for candida.   When the candida is treated, the CFS clears up as well.  Now the eye of suspicion has turned on candida as the actual cause of chronic fatigue syndrome, but it has not yet been positively identified as the culprit.

Researchers believe the connection between the two conditions is an  immune system dysfunction which can be caused or irritated by overgrowth of Candidas albicans, a yeast-like fungus found in humans.  Candidiasis, or candida, as it is commonly called, occurs when this normally friendly fungus begins to multiply rapidly and takes over the intestinal track.  It can spread to many areas of the body, including the nervous system, which then triggers immune system dysfunction.

The discovery of this link was really an accident.  When patients began treatment, the CFS was not the intended target of the treatment; candida was.  Relief from the chronic fatigue syndrome was a bonus.

Candida Treatment Improves Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms

Traditional treatments of candida include prescription anti fungal drugs.  Naturopathic physicians have also found that lifestyle changes and a diet that discourages yeast growth are very effective.  This diet includes eliminating sugars and refined carbohydrates, upping the intake of vegetables and proteins and other dietary measures.  For a more complete look at the candida diet, check out these Candida diet guidelines.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome is a debilitating, long term condition.  Most conventional  treatments fail to provide relief from the problem.  Now, by treating the candida that could be the root cause for CFS, many people are fining a viable  solution to the condition.

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